Why Paper is Painful in Accounting

I remember the feeling of satisfaction when I would click “print” and have all of my work made tangible on paper. However, I soon came to realize I was a prisoner to this mindset. Over my many years of practice, I had been brainwashed to think this way, and even prioritized my paper organization more so than my desire to be efficient and effective.

The more I thought about it, the more I came to dislike paper for what it had done to me. I’ve been fooled! Paper crumples, and just try to make it flat again! It costs money, something I like to hang onto for myself. It gets lost, sometimes in the middle of my desk! It takes up space, rooms and rooms of space after several years. It creates waste, just look into that old shredder bin. It fades with time. Remember the old thermal fax paper? It causes those nasty paper cuts and elicits the familiar “YEEOOWWWW” when it smoothly slices the knuckle, right where it will hurt the most. And if any sort of uncontrolled disaster should occur, paper is destroyed in an instant, without hope of recovery.

Now, I understand that there was a time when paper was in fact “required” to perform our tasks, but why does it keep hanging around?

In 2014 there are far better solutions than paper for most of what we do. It’s not only good to take your office paperless; you are held captive if you don’t and you are captive to something that has no power over you.

When I tell people that they should take their office paperless, I usually get the same reaction. They are embarrassed, look to the ground, and say, “I know, but I just can’t let go.” And I think to myself, are we not professionals? Are we not telling our clients to innovate? To progress? Yet, we allow ourselves to be stuck in a rut that holds us back from progress and increased profit. It won’t be long before people will tell mythical stories of how paper “was” used in the workforce. Don’t let yourself be one to be talked about, as a historical fact. It’s all too PAINFUL.

Lesson: Paper is not a necessity any more, and that your business can see significant progress by avoiding it. Not to mention the time saving, profitability and missing paper cuts!!

About the Author

Greg Buck

Greg Buck has practiced in Abbotsford for the last 28 years, firstly as a sole practitioner, then joining a local firm for 8 years before returning to the current team. Greg has practiced extensively in the areas of accounting and business advisory for privately held businesses. His practice continues to focus on providing corporate and personal income tax planning, promotion of entrepreneurial services and general finance. He conducts his practice by building close relationships with his client to assist them in successfully running their enterprises.